IVANA BALDO:
My journey to ayurveda

TELL US YOUR STORY. WHAT BROUGHT YOU IN INDIA?

I came to India 4 years ago, to join my partner who got a job as a pilot for Jet Airways. I came with my children, 16 years old daughter and 4 years old son. The beginning was not easy for me. I had been working as a flight attendant at Czech Airlines for 23 years, so I had been in India before, but this time it was different. We came to Kovalam, which was a tourist place but still a village. My children started to attend the international school and my daughter was unhappy because she didn‘t understand the Indian teachers. But we met good friends who accepted us immediately as a family. Especially thanks to them I soon fell in love with this place.

AYURVEDA SAYS, THAT EVERY PERSON IS A SMALL UNIVERSE. HOW DOES YOUR UNIVERSE LOOK LIKE?

I can see my Universe as my inner energy, my feelings, fears, passions and dreams. My children are in the center of my Universe. 

AYURVEDA IS CONSIDERED AS THE SCIENCE OF LIFE. WHAT DOES AYURVEDA MEAN FOR YOU. HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED AYURVEDA TREATMENTS?

Ayurveda is said to be a way of life and it is exactly how I feel it. It does not mean for me just a treatment or solving some health problems, but an everyday life in harmony with nature. I have not done any long term treatment yet, but when I have any health issue I always try to solve it with ayurvedic medicine or massages.

HOW HAS AYURVEDA HELPED TO YOUR DAUGHTER?

My daughter had a bad immunity since her childhood. She had asthma and many food allergies. When she was 16 years old, she started to lose her hair rapidly. The diagnose was alopecia areata. It is an autoimmune disease which is connected to stress. I had always been proud of my daughter`s beautiful long hair and we tried everything to stop the hair fall. But nothing helped. Western medicine has no cure for alopecia. When we came to Kerala, our friends recommended us a local ayurvedic practitioner who had already helped them a lot. He was a village doctor who didn’t even speak English. But he said he could help and in one month the hair would grow again. The treatment was pretty hard. He was bringing her a special food every day, did a hair massage and shirodhara, the therapy that involves gently pouring liquids over the forehead. She was taking a medicine he made himself. After one month the bold patches on my daughter’s head were covered with hair! She was still losing the old hair, so she finally shaved her head, but new hair grew gradually everywhere. After three years she has even more beautiful long hair back. She is doing ayurvedic treatments regularly, taking some ayurvedic supplements, doing yoga and meditation.

YOU HAVE RECENTLY STARTED TO PRACTICE YOGA. YOGA MEANS CONNECTION. WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU HAVE FELT CONNECTION WITH YOGA & MEDITATION ITSELF? HOW WAS YOUR JOURNEY TO YOGA AND MEDITATION?

I had some experience in yoga from Czech Republic. But I had practiced mostly power yoga and only occasionally. It was just a kind of exercise for me. Even here it took some time until I realized what actually yoga is about. I always knew that our mind can influence our physical being, but only recently I have found out how it works in the opposite way. And it is an amazing discovery for me! Now I can feel that connection of the body and mind. Thanks to physical practice and meditation I can much easier regulate my stress, fears or impatience. I feel much more balanced in life and my health improved a lot. Suddenly everything is giving a sense.

YOU ARE MAKING BEAUTIFUL BEADS JEWELRY. IT CAN BE CONSIDERED ALSO AS MEDITATION PRACTICE. HOW HAVE YOU STARTED?

One of my new Indian friends was doing a beautiful jewelry and I asked her if she could teach me. She was excited and showed me her techniques. But I didn’t want just to copy her work. I started to make bracelets using crystals and pearls. I believe in the healing power of crystals and making bracelets is really a kind of meditation for me. Touching the stones and thinking nothing else than color combinations is the best relaxing technique.

SPIRITUALITY - WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU? WHO WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT “SPIRIT”, WHO HAS INSPIRED YOU?

Spirituality for me is not connected with any religion. It is my belief in energies and the law of attraction, connection of mind, body and spirit and our connection with nature and the universe.

The most beautiful spirit who will always inspire me was my mom. She was the most loving person, always supporting me in everything. She was never complaining and never wanted anything for herself, just happiness for her children. She has passed away this year, but in my mind she will always be an angel. 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MANTRA? OR FAVORITE “MAGIC WORD”?

When you believe there is magic, you will find it.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN “STARS” & ASTROLOGY? HAVE YOU EVER TRIED IT IN INDIA?

Yes, I believe in astrology. I haven’t tried it in India yet, but I would like to. I am not looking purposefully for an astrologer, I know it will come in the right time.  

HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT NAVAGRAHA TEMPLES (TEMPLES OF 9 PLANETS) IN INDIA?

Yes, I know it is a set of 9 Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu, each dedicated to one of the nine planetary deities. But I haven’t been there yet.

IN THE “MARS TEMPLE” VAIDYESHWARA TEMPLE IS THE LIBRARY OF PALM LEAVES – WHERE THE DESTINIES OF THE PEOPLE ARE WRITTEN, DO YOU BELIEVE IN IT?

Well, as I said my favorite saying is “When you believe in magic, you will find it”, so I am very curious about this place and I would like to visit it soon.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN DESTINY? ARE YOU A CHILD OF DESTINY OR A SELF – MADE WOMAN? WHAT WAS THE ROLE OF DESTINY AND HARD WORK IN YOUR LIFE?

I believe in destiny and I am a child of destiny for sure. I have actually never planned anything in my life, everything came naturally and I believe that for some reason.

“SHAKTI, THE PRIMORDIAL FEMALE ENERGY, WHICH INFLUENCES THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE. IT IS THE BEGINNING OF EVERY CREATIVE AND VERSATILE ACTIVITY. IT ENCOURAGES NEW WAYS OF THINKING, TRANSFORMING ENERGY, PROVIDING THE COURAGE TO BE FREE BUT ALSO TO BE UNITED WITH WHOLE WORLD. SHAKTI IS THE ARTISTIC EXPRESSION OF THE HIGHER SELF AND UNITY WITH UNIVERSE.” HOW DO YOU SEE CONNECTION BETWEEN – FEMALE ENERGY, FEMININITY & EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN?

I can see Shakti as a source of women empowerment. As a mental and physical power to make my own decisions, to follow my heart and to take responsibility for my life.

WHICH GODDESS IS YOUR FAVORITE & WHY?

My favorite Hindu Goddess is Lakshmi, the Goddess of light and abundance, who represents the creative, feminine aspect of the divine. Abundance means not only material wealth, but also spiritual knowledge and wisdom.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SYMBOL & WHY?

Symbols are a part of the yoga tradition. My favorite symbol is lotus flower. The petals are considered to depict the opening of the heart. And as the roots of the lotus start in the muddy earth and rise up to the light, also we can rise up from any difficult situation and reconnect to the light again.

AYURVEDA SAYS, THAT THE “KITCHEN CAN BE YOUR PHARMACY”. IS YOUR KITCHEN A PHARMACY? WHAT WE CAN FIND THERE?

From my experience I know that many health problems can be solved by the right food. I am not exactly a big cook, but I like to prepare meals which are healthy. I use a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds and fresh fish. I try to experiment with various Indian spices. As we have coconut palms in our garden, we can drink our fresh coconut water which is a medicine for many things.

HAS YOUR STYLE OF COOKING & DIET CHANGED IN INDIA?

Yes, it has changed a lot. I am almost vegetarian now, only sometimes I have a fresh fish. I love Indian food, so Kerala is a paradise for me. I eat much healthier than before and I also feel much better and my immunity has improved a lot. 

AYURVEDA RECOGNIZES “6 TASTES OF LIFE”. WHAT IS THE TASTE OF YOUR LIFE?

• The spiciest experience - exploring Indian street food
• The sourest experience - when I was forced to do something what I didn’t want
• The most pungent experience – when I see injustice and poverty and feel helpless
• The bitterest experience – when I had to stop flying
• The saltiest experience – tears, when my parents died.
• The sweetest experience – when I am hugging my children.